1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to remotely obtaining a printer driver for a printer attached to a set top box which is connected to a digital cable network. More specifically, the present invention provides a mechanism for a set top box to send a request for a printer driver to a cable head end of a digital cable network whereupon the cable head end obtains an appropriate printer driver and sends it to the set top box for use with a corresponding printer attached to the set top box.
2. Description of the Related Art
In addition to the widespread use of personal computers in the home which are capable of connecting over the internet, there is a growing use of devices in the home known as set top boxes for connecting a common television to a digital cable network. Typically, the digital cable network comprises a digital broadband network which incorporates digital and analog services such as analog television signal broadcasts and digital television signal broadcasts, analog and digital pay-per-view services, digital real video on demand, and also one and two way real time data communication. Such digital cable networks can also provide services such as web browsing and e-mail by providing access to the internet through a proxy which is located between the internet and the digital cable network. The typical digital cable network has a cable head end which collects the value added services to be distributed over the digital cable network such as television stations, pay-per-view television stations, video on demand, web browsing and e-mail. The cable head end also implements the network control systems which handle the distribution and control of the aforementioned services over the digital cable network. A cable head end on a typical digital cable network may provide services for one-half to one million homes by distribution over the digital cable network via numerous hubs, each of which provides service to approximately 500 to 2,000 homes.
A set top box within a home generally communicates with the cable head end by means of a client/server relationship. The STB (set top box) hosts various applications that present the user with the functionality offered by the various cable services. The more familiar applications provided over such digital cable networks, typically include a navigator, an interactive program guide, e-mail, and a web browser. In such applications, the STB hosts the client software and the cable head end hosts the server software. The set top box itself may be one of many currently available set top boxes, such as the Explorer 2000 by Scientific Atlanta, the DCT 5000+ by General Instrument, and the Streammaster by Motorola and others.
The set top box therefore provides a way for the user to obtain numerous television channels, videos, e-mail, internet access, and other services, for viewing on the user""s television which is connected to the set top box. It can be appreciated that the user may, in addition to viewing such services, also want to print some of the content provided from the aforementioned services by means of a printer locally attached to the set top box. Unfortunately, set top boxes are not currently known to provide the capability to support a local printer. Set top boxes are generally designed so as to provide the aforementioned services in a user-friendly manner such that the user is not required to possess a high degree of technical competency or knowledge. For this reason, even if a set top box could support a printer, installation of the printer to the set top box should be provided in a user-friendly manner.
The set top box would require a printer driver to properly format data for a locally attached printer. The specific printer driver required would depend on the type of set top box to which the printer is attached, such as the Explorer 2000, the DCT 5000+, or the Streammaster, as mentioned above. In addition, the specific printer driver required would depend on the type of operating system being utilized by the set top box. The aforementioned set top boxes use the PowerTV, WinCE, and Microware/OpenTV operating systems, respectively.
Although a set top box could provide pre-installed printer drivers for several printers, storing the printer drivers would take up significant memory resources which is undesirable because set top boxes are typically of limited resources. In the alternative, a printer driver could be accessed through the use of an external device connected to the set top box such as a floppy disk drive, CD-ROM, or the like. This would require additional resources in the set top box.
It would be preferable to take advantage of the services provided over the digital cable network by having a printer connected to the set top box wherein the printer is capable of being installed in a plug-and-play manner. It would be preferable, therefore, to utilize connection between the set top box and the cable head end over the digital cable network to obtain a printer driver corresponding to the printer, therefore reducing the need for additional resources in the set top box or the need for technical knowledge of the user to install the printer driver in the set top box. In addition, it would be desirable to also obtain a printer driver for use in the cable head end for enabling the cable head end to print to the printer which is locally attached to the set top box.
The present invention addresses the foregoing problems by allowing a printer to be locally attached to a set top box whereby the set top box can obtain an appropriate printer driver from the cable head end on the digital cable network in response to a request from the set top box thereby allowing the set top box to print to the locally attached printer. According to one embodiment of the application, the set top box first detects that a new printer driver is needed. For example, this detection may occur automatically when a new printer is plugged into the set top box or may occur by initiation from the user of the set top box. The set top box then sends a request over the digital cable network to the cable head end which receives the request. In the preferred mode, the request includes printer identification information such as manufacturer and model. The cable head end then determines the type of printer driver needed according to the information sent by the set top box. Also in the preferred mode, the cable head end possesses information regarding the set top box, such as the type of set top box hardware and the operating system being utilized in the set top box. The cable head end then obtains the needed printer driver, and sends the printer driver to the set top box, upon which the set top box loads the printer driver for subsequent use.
By virtue of this arrangement, the set top box may obtain an appropriate printer driver for a printer which is locally attached to the set top box without having to use a floppy disk, CD-ROM or the like, thereby reducing the hardware and system capabilities needed of the set top box for supporting a local printer. The invention utilizes the digital cable network to which the set top box is attached in order to provide an effortless means for obtaining and loading a printer driver in the set top box.
In a second embodiment, a printer driver is obtained as described above and the cable head end also obtains a printer driver for use by the cable head end for printing to the printer that is locally attached to the set top box. By virtue of this arrangement, the set top box may obtain an appropriate printer driver as described above, and in addition, the cable head end of the digital network can also obtain a printer driver for use by the cable head end to send print data from the cable head end to the printer that is locally attached to the set top box.